This Blog focuses on Ancestor Stories, both the stories themselves about my family’s ancestors and discussions of where they come from and how to prepare and share them. These stories may be non-fiction or fiction – we will always tell which is which, of course. Also see my KINNICK blog and The HOMEPLACE Series Blog, left sidebar, scroll down.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Sunday Special - You are an Ancestor Too!

Sunday Special - You are an Ancestor Too!

I really enjoy reading about others who see great value in telling ancestor stories, and why they say they do it. I use a Google Blog Alert to send me any Internet stories using the term "ancestor stories." Today, I was sent a nice interview that included the following quote at the end of the interview. It says a lot that I believe. I would welcome your comments!

"Yes, it would be wonderful to know our ancestors’ stories. But what we often forget is that we, too, are someone’s ancestor. We are the future historians’ primary sources. A primary source is a term historians use to describe the thoughts, opinions and witness of those people who were really there. When you record what you saw, what you felt, what you did, you become a primary source. Two hundred years from now, historians could be looking for you. What do you want them to find? Just your tombstone with the dates of your birth and death, and perhaps a line of verse? Does that tell your dreams, desires, triumphs, griefs, loves and hates? Does it tell what part you played in the story of the world?
Sharing your stories is an affirmation of belonging. You have a rightful place here. Without you, the history of the world is incomplete."
Quote from Kim Pearson, who writes the blog, "From the Compost" {Kim Pearson's blog about writing, history, and storytelling, with some haiku thrown in.}

2 comments:

Yes, I use Google Alert for a number of phrases that relate to several of my projects. I love it! If you are careful in choice of words, the results can be very useful, regularly.Sometimes I choose wrong, get overload, just delete that choice! ;-)

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